


Chrysanthemum

by redbluezero



Category: Fire Emblem Heroes
Genre: Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-21 00:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30013596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redbluezero/pseuds/redbluezero
Summary: Nobody notices Peony struggling to play the part during her first week as Sharena, while she still vaguely remembers being someone else. Except Henriette, that is.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 12





	Chrysanthemum

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I subscribe to the “Sharena isn’t the real princess of Askr” interpretation of book four.

“Surprise hug attack!”

Henriette staggered backward as a tiny body slammed into her right leg. Following suit, proportionately tiny arms wrapped themselves around her thigh. She looked downward and came face to face with her youngest child, Sharena. She beamed as she nuzzled into her mother’s side.

“Now I don’t suppose you learned that while training with your brother, did you?” Henriette teased with a smile. She ran her fingers through her daughter’s hair for some time, then finished off with a head pat. Sharena giggled with glee.

“Nuh-uh, ‘cause training’s boring!”

Henriette gave her daughter another head pat, this time lighter and more melancholy. She knew encouraging mischief was the wrong move, since Sharena was falling behind with her studies, but she couldn’t help but dote on her daughter.

The girl clinging onto her  _ was  _ her daughter, right?

Earlier that week, Henriette had started to pick up on small changes in Sharena’s behavior. The petty arguments she’d been getting into with Alfonse more and more came to an abrupt stop. She’d started making clumsy mistakes while sparring, though, as if she’d forgotten how to wield her beloved dummy lance. Most of all, she’d started acting  _ very  _ clingy— as if she’d never felt a mother’s love before.

Henriette knew her doubts were unfounded. When she brought it up to her husband, Gustav, he told her that Sharena was just developing her personality. He was probably right. There was no way that their daughter could have gone to sleep as the princess of Askr and woken up as somebody else, even if it felt that way.

Still, the voice in the back of Henriette’s mind insisted that the warmth she felt was not that of the girl she’d given birth to. Mother’s intuition, she figured.

“Okay, I’m gonna go play with Alfonse again!” Sharena exclaimed, hopping off of Henriette’s leg. She scurried off, dragging her arms behind her like fairy wings, before stopping in her tracks. She turned to face her mother and looked at her with wide, expectant eyes.

“Yes, you may go play,” Henriette reassured. Sharena whooped and hollered, jumping up and down with joy. It was such a refreshing sight that, all of a sudden, whether or not Sharena was the princess of Askr was immaterial. Every child deserved a parent that made them smile so wide that their cheeks hurt.

_ Wherever you are, my baby, I wish you luck. I will love this girl you’ve entrusted me with. I promise. _

Henriette drew a cross over her heart to confirm her oath. With her free hand, she hastily wiped away the silent tears pouring down her cheeks.

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve got Fire Emblem: Heroes brainrot, unfortunately. I ended up caring about these characters way more than I thought I would. To think this all started because I needed enough orbs to pull Ingrid.


End file.
